Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Daddy's Little Girl
At 12:31 p.m. today, Addison Helena Kahn was wrestled from her comfortable living quarters, and introduced to the world outside Candice. It has been a long day today but Candice and I wanted to let all the people we love know some of what transpired during the day.
As you can see form the pictures, I can honestly say she is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on but I don't want to sound too biased.
At about 5:30 a.m. today, I was awoken by Candice, who was standing over me. I cannot remember what she said exactly but generally, for the first 5 minutes after coming awake, our discussion revolved around which one of us was going to simply decide to just go to the hospital. Fast forward about an hour and by about 6:30 a.m., we were at Cedars Sinai, on the 3rd floor in Labor and Delivery.
For the first 5 hours or so, we were not sure if we were going to go home or proceed with a C-Section. Candice had been experiencing consistent contractions but really had not progressed with what could generally be described as productive, labor-like, contractions. Out of an abundance of caution, the doctor wanted to see if it was possible to halt the contractions because Candice was still only in her 37th week. She received a dose of terbutaline, and it seemed to work....at first. The contractions seemed to slow down and lower in intensity for about 30-45 minutes, however the effects of the medicine wore off and the decision to proceed with the C-Section was made.
I almost forgot how long of a wait it can be from the time the doctor says "something" is going to happen, until the time that "something" actually happens. Needless to say, the staff was very nice, and things went smoothly. It took about another hour or so before I was brought into the Operating Room to witness Addison's birth.
The doctors got her out with no complications and proceeded to take care of Candice while Addison was checked out and cleaned off. My first thoughts were that she looked like a female version of Eli (all that dark hair and skin with very good color as opposed to the paleness of Jonah), but if you look at her with a hat on, or something blocking the hair, she looks like Jonah.
After watching Addison get her first bath, and shuffling between Candice in Recovery and Addison in the Nursery, Candice got into a room about 2.5 hours after Addison was born where she got to meet her Nana and Papa, and Bubbee and Tata, who all think she is gorgeous, and that they cannot wait to spoil her in the manner she deserves. She also got to meet her Uncle Marty, Uncle David and Aunt Ellie who cannot wait to take her shopping.
As some of the pictures show, Older brothers Jonah and Eli were introduced to their younger sister and both boys could not be happier. Granted, they were also really interested in the Chicken Fries we got for them, but Jonah is very excited to have a baby sister.
Candice will remain in the hospital until at least Saturday (probably) and then all the fun really begins. We'll post more soon and take lots of pictures but right now I'm going to sleep. We look forward to sharing more with you all soon.
Monday, January 05, 2009
House Updated
Happy New Year!
Friday, January 02, 2009
2008 Environmental Products I Loved
As a follow-up to last years environmentally friendly products I loved I thought I'd do another one for 2008. We have continued our quest to reduce our carbon footprint in so many ways. While we're not always successful I thought I'd share this year's fave finds.
I think there are 2 that top our list this year. The first of the two is a vegtable/fruit wash. We have used both Biokleen's Produce Wash and Veggie Wash. It has really made a difference in getting our fruits and vegtables cleaner then ever before. It even takes off the waxes and pesticides left behind when farmers preserve these items. I don't really know what we did before we had this, but I'm sure glad we found it. As an added bonus all of the ingredients in these washes are all natural.
The other of the 2 was NO VOC paints. When we bought the house I made it my crusade not to bring too many chemicals into the house. Besides being pregnant, Rob, Jonah & Eli all suffer from various degrees of allergies. We needed to be as smart as we could be, within our budget, about the things we used to refurbish this house. David (my brother) pointed me in the direction of many articles written on-line, but also pointed out that he had read Lowe's brand Olympic paints have been rated up there with the best of the best at an extremely affordable price. I did my pricing and he was right. Lowe's came out the cheapest hands down. What was even more surprising was that they had well over 250 color choices and the coverage of the paint could compete with any of the VOC paints out there. If you are looking to paint one room or your whole house I cannot recommend enough trying the no VOC Olympic paints at Lowe's. In case you are wondering we were able to even buy the no VOC primer, trim and ceiling paint too. As a reminder when you do paint with a VOC paint although you cannot smell the chemicals after a few weeks studies have shown they linger in your home for up to 3 years.
Next on our list of favorite environmental products is toilet paper. Yes you read correctly. I figured since this was something we weren't going to stop using ever, I'd find one that was safer for our planet. I tried Seventh Generation and am pleasently surprised at how comparable it is to the 2-ply we used to use. You can find it at many stores included Whole Foods, but I've found ordering it on-line to be cheaper.
I couldn't get myself to try cloth wipes for the tushies, so I thought I'd try Seventh Generation wipes as an alternative to the Pampers Sensitive we were using. Although I still have Pampers around to get rid of, we are definitely going to be switching to the Seventh Generation wipes with baby girl. Now if only I could get Eli to potty train. (Yes, we are going to be cloth diapering baby girl, so if you need any advice in this arena e-mail me.)
For those of you giving kids a bath, and those children have sensitive skin I want to recommend Aura Cacia Baby Body Wash & Shampoo. They also have foaming Kids Wash and Shampoo, but that doesn't seem to be tear free which can be a deal breaker. I'm happy to say though, that both have not had reactions to this brand which is a major plus in our house.
Although, this can be expensive I've discovered a luxurious organic clothing brand. It's called Blue Canoe. I only own 2 items from them, but I will be ordering more from their sales as soon as I can. Their organic cotton is absolutely the softest thickest cotton I've ever experienced.
Getting away from plastic toys in your house? I highly recommend anything from Plan Toys. We were lucky enough to get 2 items in our house this year and the boys adore them. They are well made, non-toxic, green friendly toys. They're available at many different big retailers including Barnes & Noble.
Well, in a year when I do this again I hope to be able to tell you about more great green products I love. We're even scoping out organic formula for the baby. If all else fails and you can't go green the way you'd like remember that every little bit helps. It doesn't have to be everything, but anything is better then nothing.
Happy New Year everyone!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Eli's Birthday
Our tentative move day is actually on Saturday (Eli's b-day). We'll let you all know if anything changes. I'll try to post new pictures this week.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Jonah's Tubes
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The New House
Monday, October 06, 2008
Big Ultrasound Was This AM
I'm happy to report that the baby is healthy in every way. My mom was able to see the beautiful face in 4D and has declared that she knows it looks exactly like Jonah.
Lastly, and I know there are a ton of you on pins and needles, we have confirmed that the baby is in fact a GIRL. She will be named after my beloved Bubbe. Her middle name is Helena and her Hebrew name is Chana Leya. Her first name will be revealed at birth. Thanks everyone for your girly thoughts, it worked.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Happy New Year
Robert, Candice, Jonah, Eli, Sascha & of course baby in the tummy
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Fundraising For WJCC
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
A New House
We found a wonderful home that is bank owned, and quickly made an offer. It needs a new kitchen and master bathroom plus a few other things, but we are happy to announce the bank who owns it has signed the paperwork. We will most likely begin escrow tomorrow. If we can close escrow in the 30 days we need we will be beginning our construction the day after. There are things that need to be done before we can move in and we estimate those taking 30 days.
This is our first house. This is a huge thing for us, and the boys LOVE it. Jonah can't wait to move in, and well honestly, neither can we. We finally have a yard for them and that makes me so happy. We've already begun the elusive search for a swing set for them. Jonah was very particular about the slide being green, but we'll see what we can find. We are even going to have a playroom and that seems to be Eli's favorite room so far.
I plan to video our before, during and after for everyone to see, so wish us luck as we embark on our newest endeavor.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Boys New Shirts & More
Today I had the results from a test that is known as the 1st Trimester Screening. They measure the nucheal area. Plus I had blood work done 2 weeks ago to test for Down's Syndrome. Everything is great and healthy as can be. We will have the normal ultrasound in about 6 weeks to let us know what the baby is. THINK PINK! Now for more good news: The tech who did the ultrasound today said that if he had to guess he'd say we're having a girl. It is too early to really see that area, so we put it at an 80% chance of pink in our future.
How are the boys doing with this? Well, they are just wonderful. Jonah is SO excited. He only wants a baby sister and he wants her to be named Lola. If you know the show Charlie & Lola on Playhouse Disney then you'll know why he wants a sister named Lola. Eli likes to lift my shirt and say hello to the baby and he keeps asking me to bring it out so he can see it. Jonah has told everyone at preschool that his mommy is sick. Eli has told everyone at daycare that daddy cleans the house and mommy sleeps.
I'm not doing so hot and have been missing quite a bit of work. I'm not having morning sickness, I just have extreme fatigue. I have no energy and basically go to work and then go to bed. Rob has been absolutely amazing. Our house may look like a hurricane hit it and we're eating a lot more take out, but he is always so upbeat. He's been just wonderful, and I'm a VERY lucky woman.
Now I must apologize to many people. I missed a few birthdays in the last few weeks and I really am so sorry. By the time I realized what day it was it was past the date of your special day. Please know that if I had been feeling better I would've been better at acknowledging your birthdays. I love you and hope you all had special days.
We'll keep you all updated as this baby grows. Keep thinking girly thoughts for us. We love you all.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Love of a Brother
I said, "why don't you give it to Eli?"
Jonah hands his picture to Eli, "Eli I made this for you."
Eli takes it from him and looks at it and says, "This so boootiful, Nonah it bootiful." (Nonah = Jonah).
I just had to share this moment with everyone because it really is one I want burned on my brain forever. I love to see how much they love each other, even when I know the expression of love is very temporary. LOL!
Happy Friday everyone!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Round 1: He's Still In
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Jonah's 4th Birthday
Guess who just woke? He's super happy for a change, only b/c he knows it's his birthday.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Dreams Do Come True
Last night one of Rob's dreams came alive. At approximately 11:45 PM PST he won a seat to play in the World Series of Poker ("WSOP"). For those of you unfamiliar with this it is where all great Poker players go to Las Vegas and compete for 10 days to win the "big prize". Which this year is over $8M, and the title of WSOP winner. Not only that but since he won his seat from an on-line poker game he has the chance of making even more money, by being a marketing tool for the site.
Most important is that he gets to go to the WSOP, and live the dream. Even if he comes home empty handed, he got to play in the series.
I have decided to go for at least the first 2 or 3 days with Rob, but reality is I don't have the vacation time to stay longer. Let's hope Rob doesn't come home w/me.
Keep your fingers crossed for him. Yay for dreams come true...
Monday, June 09, 2008
When I Grow Up
This morning Rob & I were in the bathroom getting ready while the boys were on our bed watching TV.
I walked in the room to get dressed and Jonah said, "Mommy when I grow up I want to be a daddy."
Me: "really just a daddy"
J: "yup a daddy"
When I asked Rob if he heard him, he said he didn't. I relayed the conversation and Rob just smiled from ear to ear. I think Jonah just made his week. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's going to be four this month.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Just A Quick Hello
As for the family: Jonah is finishing his first year of school and will be entering pre-K next year. He has grown so much this last year and really loves going to school. He's going to do camp at his school all summer, so he'll pretty much be at the Westside JCC all year round. He is starting to read and is driving us batty asking us what every word is and how to sound it out. It's actually great. Over the holidays I bought him days of the week underwear. He loved asking me EVERY day what day it was, based on his underwear of course. It's actually a good thing because he knows his days of the week now, and what order they are. Recenty, I had to buy him the next size up. The old ones had different vehicles, but the new ones have different dogs. The first day he wore them to school he came home and told me that he showed Noa the dogs on his underwear. I thought great Jonah's going to school flashing his underwear to little girls, what do they think of me now? Thankfully, it was a one time thing. Once June hit he started asking me when his birthday is, he makes me tell him how many days away it is from today. For the record today it is 21 days away. LOL! (Yes, I have updated his list so you can go on the blog and there is a link to it if you need gift ideas.)
Eli is talking up a storm. Understanding what he's saying is a whole other issue, but it's adorable anyhow. He continues to win over anyone who meets him with his smile. Yesterday, I took the boys to my Weight Watchers meeting and one of my friends there got a kick out of asking Eli how old he is. It was hysterical. She'd ask and he'd say "I TWO," very emphatically. His new thing is to pretend his name isn't Eli. You'll ask him "are you Eli?" "No I uh uh uh Nonah." Then he laughs hysterically. Now you know why I call him silly monkey, he's such a goofball. He's going to be starting at the JCC in September in the 2.5 year old class. He cannot wait to go to "Nonah's Cool". Sometimes I pick him up before Jonah and take him w/me to pick him up. He is so excited just to go to the school. He's pretty much got his ABC's down. What's funny is that wherever we go he sees letters and if there is a "T", then he says "T a Tata". I guess you know that Tata (my dad) must be pretty important, if that's the only letter he actually associates with a word.
Rob's very excited because tomorrow he's going to the Dodgers v Cubs game. The funny thing is that my uncle (Nate) is going with him. Nate is a huge Dodger fan. They will go there in their individual team garb, sit next to each other, and root for the opposite team. I think it's hysterical and endearing all at the same time. Thank g-d there's someone else in this family who understand Rob's love for sports. Yes, I actually hear the Sportscenter jingle in my head, even when I'm not in front of the TV. If you or your significant other watches it you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
Well, I've decided to start blogging more often about my ramblings. So if you are on the e-mail list and would prefer not to get every message I post, please e-mail me and I'll remove you from the list that sends you the posts.
I hope that everyone is well, and we send our love to all of you far and wide.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Toxic Toys
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
A Great Laugh
Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
First Trip To Disneyland
Here are the boys in their strollers when we got there.
In Toon Town there is a Donald Duck boat playhouse. Jonah & Rob went in to check it out. Eli & I waited for them below.
Jonah's face as we were going up in the roller coaster.
Just as we were about to give the kids a bath, there was a knock at the door, it was complimentary milk & cookies. Here are the cookies they brought, and the boys enjoying them.
The cutest moment was them passed out on our way home.
We had so much fun. I can say it ranks in the top 5 gifts I've ever gotten.